Giardia... How can I really prevent it?

[Anna]

I give my chins triple-filtered water and wash their waterbottles every time I fill it. One of mine went to the vet for some sniffles (that's being taken care of now) and got a fecal sample for the heck of it. They found Giardia! So, I know what to do now, as Furby had it before. But even when the parasite is gone should I wash and refill the bottles every day? What do you guys do to prevent it?

 

[ticklechin]

Giardia organisms may be present in the intestines in dormant form and become activated when the resistance of the chinchilla is lowered, such as the chin with the sniffles. Its thought that all chinchillas have small amounts in the intestines, I had one with giardia when I got her and my vet was almost at the point of recommending any chinchilla that exibited giardia should be treated yearly, I personally do not agreed with that but that was her opinion.

 

[mishellyshel]

aside from cleaning the bottles, i would assume you have to be very diligent about cleaning their cages, especially while actively being treated. that would include play area.
i know there are a few good threads about it. i remember there being a bleach solution and letting the wood dry in the sun.
good luck.......that stinks.

 

[chinsmom]

Recently been there, done that. If diagnosed with giardia, you do need to wash the water bottle every day, but your baby should have fresh water daily anyway. You will also need to thoroughly clean the cage daily, as the pesky little buggers are present in the poo, and like it or not, our little fuzzbutts are poop eaters. Cleaning the cage will need to include a good scrubbing with bleach water, after which, you will need to rinse THOROUGHLY. If you have wood ledges, the same applies, but it is also a good idea to dry them in the sun if you can, or maybe leave them out altogether until the "infestation" has been resolved. If you are able, letting your cage dry in the sun would be good too. I wasn't able to because his palace is too big to schlep outside, to it took almost forever to dry, which meant that I had a thoroughly ticked chin to take out of the carrier when I finished - not a pretty sight!! You will have to be dilligent, because reinfection is extremely easy. If you are giving medication, it would not be a bad idea - and I know that this sounds really strange/creepy, to wipe the hiney with a damp cloth to remove any unhatched eggs that may be stuck to the area. Hope this helps, I don't evny your situation, because it's a pain in the ***, but the work is definitely worth it.

 

[kogia]

Giardia cysts are hard to kill and are very, very small. What kind of filtration are you using?

Did they ID the species as Giardia lambia? Be careful when you're cleaning the cage, wash your hands etc- as it's infectious to humans too.

If your water filtration is not rated to filter out Giardia, please also take care of yourself too!

Giardia organisms may be present in the intestines in dormant form and become activated when the resistance of the chinchilla is lowered, such as the chin with the sniffles

I don't believe Giardia has a "dormant" form, there are many life stages. It is possible to have a low-level parasite load, and when you have a depressed immune system you are more likely to have a more severe case of infection. (In healthy humans, its a self-limiting disease)

It is a really good idea to read the municipal water reports if you get their water- most facilities will have a clause that suggests immunocomprimised individuals to boil their water because their systems are inefficient at removing Giardia lambia and Cryptosporidium cysts.

 

[Anna]

Thank you all! I try and fill up their bottles every day, but I will wash them out well and do it every day if that's what it takes. I do clean the cage every other day, because I have fleece liners and so the bedding is usually clean. (I'm a bit of a neat freak) The water filtration system is a triple-filter and is designed to filter out giardia. But over the break, before I learned about this water-filter-need I used tap water, because I am still a noob. My chinchilla got treated for Giardia. And maybe Ralphy got it then, but I did get a fecal for him too, but nothing turned up and he hasn't been sniffly before so maybe there is some truth to this dormant thing? But his sniffles are gone and I have some good tips now and will for sure try them!

 

[Sasha]

Wood can harbour the cysts as well. So I would probably remove the wood & replace when the infection is under control. (Or to save the wood, boil in water and let dry out in sun - I believe the UV rays help kill the cysts, if I can recall correctly). And when you wash the liners, I'd use bleach the first wash, and rinse well.

kogia: I believe ticklechin meant low-levels of the parasite. "Dormant" as in nonsymptomatic.

Are your chins housed together or separately by the way?

 

[Stackie]

It is a really good idea to read the municipal water reports if you get their water- most facilities will have a clause that suggests immunocomprimised individuals to boil their water because their systems are inefficient at removing Giardia lambia and Cryptosporidium cysts.

That's odd. I was taught in my microbiology that boiling water is not effective at killing the cysts. We were told to use the purifying tablets instead.

 

[starleomach]

The best you can do is replace ALL wooden items in the cage to be safe. And be vigilant about sanitation. I have a set of plastic (house, shelves) and Wire/metal as well as 3 cages that are all wire for illness. That way it can be thouroughly sanatized. The bad thing abotu my beautiful wooden cages is the wood. So questionable animals always go into the metal cages.

Boiling water will not kill the cysts. You will need chemicals. so wood will need to be destroyed